PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP AWARDS FOR MINORITY STUDENTS

NIH GUIDE, Volume 22, Number 4, January 29, 1993



RFA:  GM-93-003



P.T.





Keywords:



National Institute of General Medical Sciences



Application Receipt Date:  April 27, 1993



The full text version of RFA GM-93-003, originally published in the

NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 22, No. 1, January 8, 1993,

contained several errors.  It is retransmitted, here, in its

entirety.



PURPOSE



The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) is

accepting applications for individual National Research Service Award

(NRSA) Predoctoral Fellowships for Minority Students.  These

fellowships will provide up to five years of support for research

training leading to either the Ph.D. degree or the combined

M.D./Ph.D. or other combined professional doctorate/research Ph.D.

degrees in the biomedical sciences for highly qualified students from

minority groups found to be underrepresented in the biomedical and

behavioral sciences.  Support is NOT available for individuals

enrolled in medical or other professional schools UNLESS they are

enrolled in a combined professional doctorate/Ph.D. degree program in

biomedical research.



The intent of this Minority Predoctoral Fellowship Program is to make

graduate fellowships available to underrepresented minority graduates

from all institutions, including the many minority undergraduate

students who have participated in the various NIH-sponsored programs

to prepare them for research careers.  This program is designed to

encourage greater numbers of underrepresented minorities to pursue

graduate degrees, thus fulfilling the goal of increasing the number

of minorities trained for careers in biomedical research.



ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS



Eligibility for these awards is limited to students who are U.S.

citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent U.S. residents.

Applicants must be from ethnic/racial groups that are

underrepresented in research in the biomedical sciences in the U.S.

For purposes of this announcement, underrepresented minority students

are defined as individuals belonging to a particular ethnic or racial

group that has been determined by the applicant's graduate

institution to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral

research.  In making these awards, the NIH will give priority

consideration to applications from Blacks, Hispanics, Native

Americans, and Pacific Islanders and other ethnic or racial group

members who have been found to be underrepresented in biomedical or

behavioral research nationally.



In addition, an applicant must currently be enrolled in a Ph.D. or

combined M.D./Ph.D. (or other combined professional

doctorate/research Ph.D. graduate) program in the biomedical

sciences, or have been accepted by and agreed to enroll in such a

graduate program in the 1993-94 academic year.



The Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program of the NIGMS

has a similar fellowship program of support for graduates of its

various MARC Honors Undergraduate Research Training programs to

attend graduate school in biomedical sciences.  Graduates of the MARC

Program are encouraged to apply to the MARC Predoctoral Fellowship

Program.



MECHANISM OF SUPPORT



This Request for Applications (RFA) for individual fellowships (F31)

is under the auspices of the NRSA Act.  Applicants must work with

their research advisor or graduate program director in preparing the

application.  Except as otherwise stated in this RFA, awards will be

administered under the PHS Grants Policy Statement and the Guidelines

for National Research Service Awards.



The period of fellowship support requested in response to this RFA

may not exceed five years.  (Note:  the total period of predoctoral

training grant support under the NRSA authorization may not exceed

five years.)  Continuation of the fellowship award for each

subsequent year beyond the first is based on evidence of satisfactory

progress in a graduate program.



There is a single receipt date for applications:  April 27,1993.  The

NIGMS may announce subsequent RFA receipt dates at a later time.



Stipends and Other Expenses



The fellowship award provides an annual stipend of $8800 to help meet

the fellow's living expenses; a tuition and fee allowance in

accordance with NIH policy; and an annual institutional allowance of

$2000 which may be used for travel to scientific meetings and for

laboratory and other training expenses.



FUNDS AVAILABLE



For FY 1993, it is anticipated that between 30 and 45 new fellowship

awards will be made, if sufficient numbers of high quality

applications are received.  The NIGMS will be joined by the following

awarding components of the NIH in providing funds to support this

program:  the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of Arthritis and

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Cancer Institute, the

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders, the

National Institute on Environmental Health Sciences, the National Eye

Institute, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Although this program is included in the financial plans of the

participating institutes, the award of fellowships in response to

this RFA is also contingent upon the availability of funds for this

purpose.



SPECIAL PAYBACK REQUIREMENTS



All individuals receiving NRSA support must agree to fulfill the

payback requirements legislatively mandated under the NRSA Act.

Recipients must agree to engage in health-related biomedical or

health-related behavioral research and/or teaching for a period equal

to the period of NRSA support in excess of 12 months.  Details are

found in Part VII of the application instructions (PHS 416-1, rev.

10/91).



APPLICATION PROCEDURES



The regular fellowship application form PHS 416-1 (rev. 10/91) must

be used in applying for these grants.  These forms are available at

most university business offices; from the Office of Grants

Inquiries, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of

Health, 5333 Westbard Avenue, Room 449, Bethesda, Maryland 20892,

telephone 301/496-7441; and from the NIH program administrators named

below.



The applicant must follow all instructions in the application kit and

those described in these supplemental instructions.



Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.



The following must be included with the application at the time of

submission:



o  a copy of the results of either the Graduate Record Examination or

the Medical College Admission Test (for M.D./Ph.D. applicants);



o  a clear and legible copy of the applicant's transcript(s) from all

undergraduate and graduate institutions in which the applicant is/has

been enrolled;



o  a description of the graduate or combined degree program in which

the applicant is either enrolled or has been admitted and agreed to

enroll (Item 33);



o  at least three reference letters sealed in envelopes; and



o  certification of eligibility completed by the institution.



Supplemental Instructions for Completing the Application



A.  To be completed by the Student-Applicant



Item 1. (Title of Research Training Proposal), type:  MINORITY

PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM - NIGMS.



Item 2. (Level of Fellowship) type: Predoctoral.



Item 3. (Program Announcement Area), type:  RFA GM-93-003.



Items 4 - 8.  Self explanatory.



Item 4i.  (Citizenship) see explanation on page 7 of PHS 416-1.

Non-citizen nationals are citizens of areas that are not States but

are under the jurisdiction of the United States, e.g., American

Samoa.  Applications from permanent residents MUST be accompanied by

a notarized statement indicating that the Immigration and

Naturalization Service has lawfully admitted the applicant for

permanent residence.



(Items 9 - 14.  Completed by sponsor).



Item 15.  You must sign the application.



Items 16-19.  Self explanatory; if any do not apply to you, type N/A.



(Item 20. Completed by sponsor)



Item 21. (Abstract of Proposed Research)  If you have selected a

thesis topic, you should briefly describe, in abstract form, the

question you are studying, how you are approaching it, and the health

relatedness of your project.  If you have not yet selected a thesis

project, say "no thesis selected" and instead give a brief

description of the research area that interests you most and why,

even if your research interests are still very broad.



Item 22. (Scholastic Performance)  You must complete this section,

listing all undergraduate and graduate course you have taken and the

grades you received.  In addition, you must submit a LEGIBLE copy of

a transcript from all undergraduate and graduate institutions you

have attended.



Item 23. (Employment)  Your employment history during college should

be included if a significant time commitment was involved.



Items 24-26.  Self-explanatory



Item 27.  Research Experience



a. (Summary) Provide a thorough description of your relevant work and

research experiences, including time, place, research director, and

your role in the research.



b. (Doctoral Dissertation) should not be completed.



c. (Publications) Include a list of publications, abstracts, and

poster presentations.  Three collated sets of copies of publications

may be provided as part of Section 3 (Appendix).



Item 28. (Revised Application) To be completed only if this

application is a revision of an application submitted earlier.



Item 29. (Research Training Plan)



a. (Activities Under Award) - Include a statement concerning your

research training and long-range career goals, with an explanation of

how the proposed course of study to be supported by this fellowship

will help you attain these goals.  If appropriate, explain how prior

work and research experiences affected the choice of career goals.



b and c. (Research Proposal and Respective Contributions)If you have

selected a research thesis topic, complete this section according to

the instructions.  If you have not yet selected a thesis, give a

description of the research area that interests you most.



d. (Selection of a Sponsor and Institution) Explain why you chose to

enroll in this university/institution and in this graduate program.

If you have selected a research advisor, give the rationale for your

choice.  If you have not selected an advisor, you should identify up

to five individuals with whom you would like to work, giving a

rationale for your choices.



B. To be completed by the Research Advisor or Sponsor



If the applicant HAS SELECTED A RESEARCH ADVISOR, the ADVISOR must

complete the items in this section.



If the applicant HAS NOT YET SELECTED A RESEARCH ADVISOR, the

director of the graduate program should designate a sponsor to

complete these items.  The director may choose to serve as the

sponsor.



Items 9 - 14, 20, and 30-37



ITEM 33, in addition to the information requested in the application

kit,



(1) for ALL students, provide a full description of the graduate or

combined degree program in which the applicant is (or is to be)

enrolled. This description should also outline the normal course of

study (both didactic and laboratory) for students enrolled in the

program;



(2) for students already enrolled in the graduate program, describe

the applicant's course of study up to the time of submission of the

application and plans for further study; and



(3) for ALL students, provide the applicable tuition and fees for

each year of support requested.



C.  To be supplied by the University or Institution



1.  A statement from the institution certifying that (a) the

applicant is enrolled as a predoctoral student OR has been accepted

by and agreed to enroll in the graduate training program; (b) the

applicant is an eligible minority individual, determined by the

institution to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral

research; this certification MAY include an OPTIONAL identification

of the applicant's ethnic/racial group; and (c) the applicant is a

citizen, non-citizen national or permanent resident of the U.S. (see

page 7 of PHS 416-1, rev. 10/91).  This statement must be signed by

the director of the graduate program in which the student is (or is

to be) enrolled and by the official authorized to sign for the

institution.  Failure To Include This Certification Will Preclude

Review Of The Application.  The institution may wish to use the

format given at the end of this announcement.



2.  Certification of the accuracy of the tuition and fees requested

for each year of support (Item 33).



SUBMISSION



Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application (including

the Checklist, Personal Data form, at least three sealed reference

letters, and all other required materials) and two exact, clear,

single-sided photocopies of the signed application, in one package

to:



Division of Research Grants

National Institutes of Health

Westwood Building, Room 240

Bethesda, MD  20892**



Applications must be received by April 27, 1993.  Any application

received after that date will be returned to the applicant.



Applications submitted without three reference letters will be

returned without review.



Simultaneous submission of identical applications will not be allowed

nor will essentially identical applications be reviewed by different

review committees.  Thus, an application cannot be submitted in

response to this RFA that is essentially identical to one that has

already been reviewed.  This does not preclude the submission of

substantial revisions of applications already reviewed, but such

applications must include an introduction addressing the previous

critique.  If a candidate submits an application in response to this

RFA that is substantially similar to one s/he has already submitted

to the NIH for review but which has not yet been reviewed, the

applicant will be asked to withdraw one of them.



REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS



Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by NIH staff for

completeness and responsiveness to this announcement.  Incomplete or

non-responsive applications will be returned to the applicant without

review.  All items listed under APPLICATION PROCEDURES must be

included for the application to be considered complete.



Applications may be subjected to preliminary review to determine

their merit relative to other applications received in response to

this RFA.  The NIH will administratively withdraw from competition

those applications judged to be noncompetitive and notify the

applicant of such withdrawal.  Complete and responsive applications

which are judged to be competitive will be evaluated for scientific

merit and training potential by an appropriately constituted initial

review group within the NIGMS using the criteria stated below.  The

second level of review will be provided by the NIGMS Fellowship

Overview Group.



The review criteria include:



o  academic record and research experience of the applicant;



o  quality of the graduate program in which the applicant is already

enrolled or plans to enroll;



o  qualifications and research/research training experience of the

applicant's sponsor or researcher advisor; the match between the

research interests of the student and there search advisor/sponsor;



o  for advanced graduate students, scientific significance,

originality and feasibility of proposed research; for beginning

students, quality and clarity of stated research interests.



AWARD CRITERIA



The anticipated date of award is on or before September 30, 1993.

Award decisions will be based on the technical merit of the

applications based on the review criteria, programmatic priorities,

and availability of funds.



INQUIRIES



Written and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA may be directed

to:



Dr. Irene Eckstrand

National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Westwood Building, Room 918

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-7137



or



Dr. John Norvell

National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Westwood Building, Room 907

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-7309



For fiscal and administrative matters, contact:



Ms. Ruth Monaghan

Deputy Grants Management Officer

National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Westwood Building, Room 953

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-7746



AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS



Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act,

Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended, 42 USC 288) and

administered under PHS grant policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR

Part 66.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review

requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency

review.



SUGGESTED FORMAT FOR INSTITUTIONAL CERTIFICATION:  PREDOCTORAL

FELLOWSHIP AWARDS FOR MINORITY STUDENTS INSTITUTIONAL CERTIFICATION



This is to certify that___________________________, who submitted an

application for an NIH Predoctoral Fellowship Award for Minority

Students is:



 _____(1) currently enrolled in a Ph.D. or combined M.D./Ph.D. (or

other combined professional doctorate/research Ph.D.) degree program

in the biomedical sciences at this institution, or has been accepted

by and agreed to enroll in such a program during the 1993-94 academic

year;



______(2) an underrepresented minority student, i.e., belonging to a

particular ethnic or racial group that has been determined by our

institution to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral

research in the U.S.;



             OPTIONAL.  This individual is a member of the

             __________________________ racial/ethnic group.



______(3) a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or permanent

resident.



_________________________    _________________________

Signature                    Signature



_________________________    _________________________

Name: Graduate Program       Name: Authorized

      Director               University Official



_________________________    _________________________

Title                        Title



.

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